Rebecca Frezza

By Teri Brown

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

Rebecca Frezza, singer, performer, Noggin.com regular and the driving force of Big Truck Music, found her fulfillment in two things: her music and her family. Though her passion for music has taken many twists and turns over the years, she can trace her musical roots back to her childhood.

"Music has always been a part of my life," says Frezza. "I grew up in a household where everyone sang and played an instrument. My mother taught me to harmonize when I was very young. She would teach me a song, and as I was singing she would sing the harmony part. My ears learned to pick out those harmony parts, and I began experimenting with finding them on my own."

Frezza's love of music extended to dance and musical theater. With her love of singing and movement, musical theater seemed like a perfect fit, and she spent her 20s working in that world. She traveled all over the globe and performed in productions such as A Chorus Line, Evita and West Side Story.

"When I made the decision to leave the world of musical theater, there was a huge void in my life," says Frezza. "It was the first period in my life in which I was not actively involved in making music. I met my husband, got married and had two beautiful children, and as much as I loved my life, I knew that something was missing."

That missing part of her was discovered when she began taking her two small children to "Music Together" classes and, soon after, was approached by the owner of the center and asked to become a teacher.

"It was at the teacher training for Music Together that my musical self was reawakened," says Frezza. "I absolutely loved teaching and soon began writing music of my own. My first three compositions were published by the Music Together program and sung by families all over the country. After that everything just flowed."

And they flowed very well. Frezza began writing more and more and soon was being asked to perform live. She began working on her first CD, Music in My Heart (Rebecca Frezza, 2002), and put together a group of musicians to perform live. Frezza named the band Big Truck after one of her first hit songs, and Big Truck Music LLC was born.

"I know now that in order to feel whole, I need music in my life," says Frezza. "I need the creative and emotional outlet that it provides. I need to be an active participant in it. Listening is not enough for me."

Music has become a family affair. Frezza has encouraged her children to find their musical selves. Her daughter sings and plays piano, and her son plays the drums and has a knack for movement. Frezza believes he'd be a terrific dancer if he were willing to take lessons! Even her husband, who was never encouraged to pursue music as a child, has taken up the electric bass and has found his own passion for music.

"At first my kids were really excited and proud to see me up on stage and on TV," says Frezza. "Over time, it has become less interesting for them to just sit and watch, so they often become part of the show themselves. My daughter has sung on all three of my CDs and often performs in my live shows. My son is now able to play the drums well enough to perform with us as well. He often sits in and plays 'Superman' with us. It's a really cool thing to be up there with him jamming to a song that I wrote for him when he was 3 and obsessed with dressing up like Superman. He's so far beyond that now!"

Frezza credits her children, now 11 and 9, for having brought music back into her life. She sang to them constantly, and they were the inspiration for all her early songs. But it's her husband of 12 years who is her main support.

"My husband is incredibly supportive of my work," says Frezza. "Not only has he agreed to allow us to finance this project, but he also comes to almost every gig, takes care of all of the merchandise sales at the events and acts as my 'roadie,' loading and unloading equipment. He works in the financial world and is able to help me tremendously with the business side of things. He knows how important this career is to me and how happy it makes me. I am extremely lucky!"

Like most mothers, Frezza thinks balancing her career with her family is probably the most difficult part of what she does. She says it's very important to her to be a wife and mother first and a performer second. Frezza balances that by trying to get all her Big Truck business work, such as booking shows, managing the band, PR & marketing efforts, songwriting and the majority of her rehearsals, done during the hours when her children are at school.

"Unfortunately my gigs are primarily on the weekends, and that does cut into family time," says Frezza. "We try to bring the kids with us whenever possible. Often my shows are at festivals or street fairs, which are fun for the kids, so they're happy to come along. I try to schedule my gigs around the kids' important events – my daughter is on a swim team and my son plays soccer and swims as well – and so far I've been pretty successful."

When she's not working on her Big Truck business or performing, Frezza enjoys running with her family.

"We are a very physically active family," says Frezza. "My husband runs marathons, I have run a number of races including a half marathon and Lucy and Matt have run 5K races. I also take cardio kickboxing classes and have a green belt in tae kwon do. I try to get some form of cardiovascular exercise every day. I love gardening as well, but sadly I don't often find the time lately."

But Frezza isn't unhappy; her business is thriving and she is doing what she loves to do most – take care of her family and perform her music.

"I love performing," says Frezza. "There is this amazing feeling of connection when I am up on stage with my band and I look out at the audience and see all of the parents and kids dancing and singing together. We are connecting with them and creating an opportunity for them to connect with each other. It's a beautiful thing to see."

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• Baby's Got Rhythm: Incorporating Music Into Your Child's Life
• Talk about it!